It’s Beethoven’s 250th birthday year: reviews of four sets of the complete piano concertos from, respectively, Paul Lewis, Stewart Goodyear, Inon Barnatan, and Stephen Hough.
Hyperion
Classical CD Review: “Janáček: Solo Piano,” Schumann & Mendelssohn Chamber Music, Philip Glass Piano Works
Pianist Thomas Adès proves himself a sympathetic champion of Czech composer Leoš Janáček; it’s not often that a Schumann-Mendelssohn album focuses on the music of Clara and Fanny (rather than Robert and Felix); Jenny Lin’s performances of piano pieces by Philip Glass don’t lack for style or technical command.
Classical CD Reviews: Beach & Elgar Piano Quintets, Mark Abel’s “The Cave of Wondrous Voice,” and Ibragimova plays Shostakovich
It took more than a century, but Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet has finally got the recording it deserves; it would be hard to beat the all-star line-up featured in The Cave of Wondrous Voice; and ready for some flawless Shostakovich?
Classical CD Reviews: James MacMillan’s Viola Concerto, Magnus Lindberg’s “Accused,” and Richard Rodney Bennett Orchestral Works
James MacMillan’s Viola Concert is a magnificent addition to the repertoire; the debut recording of Magnus Lindberg’s song cycle Accused leaves a bit to be desired; a fetching, brilliant gathering of orchestral music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.
Classical CD Reviews: Beethoven & Knecht Orchestral Works, Josef Suk’s “Asrael,” and Berlioz’s “Symphonie fantastique”
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin’s pairing of Beethoven with Knecht is intelligent, programmatically and musically, but Thierry Fischer’s Symphony fantastique is a disappointing misfire.
Classical Music Album Review: Stephen Hough plays Brahms — The Final Piano Pieces
This CD with British pianist Stephen Hough is a gem — and it was named Recording of the Month by Gramophone Magazine.
Classical CD Reviews: Rattle conducts Bruckner, Jurowski conducts Mahler, and Fischer conducts Saint-Saëns
Simon Rattle’s Bruckner is, on the whole, lean and lively; if you’re looking for a new Mahler Four, Vladimir Jurowski’s is the one to check out; Thierry Fischer leads performances of each symphony that take Saint-Saëns’ writing seriously.
Classical CD Review: Hungarian Composer Ernő Dohnányi — Love at First Listen
This is a gem of a recording, a wonderful introduction to this often overlooked Hungarian composer.
Classical CD Reviews: Finley & Drake’s “Schwanengesang,” Bostridge & Adès’ “Winterreise,” Meglioranza & Uchida’s “Die schöne Müllerin”
Reviews of three superior vocal recordings, featuring baritone Gerald Finley, tenor Ian Bostridge, and baritone Thomas Meglioranza.
Classical Music CD Review: “Bach: Toccatas” — A Harpsichord of Feral Energy
In this extraordinary recording, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani is given a chance to perfectly convey the power of his emotions.